Here is where it gets confusing....we would like to visit the Lakes region but don't know where to f

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Hello, after many trip dreams, we finally have a semi-final itineary for our 4 month retirement trip this fall/winter. There are a couple of areas that are not clear to me yet so would appreciate any tweaking suggested.
Here is where it gets confusing....we would like to visit the Lakes region but don't know where to fit it in. As mentioned we are tied to the week of Christmas in El Chalten. So, do we bus from Puerto Montt to Bariloche and then fly to Buenos Aires for a few days before flying home with maybe an Rand R at Colonia Los Limoneros (sp) or do we find a way to get from Ushuaia to Bariloche, travel across to Chile to Puerto Montt and rent a vehicle magical mystery tour album cover there for Carrretera Austral with drop off in Puerto Montt and fly to Santiago magical mystery tour album cover for return flight home.
We have our flight to Lima and return Buenos Aires but at this point can easily return by Santiago. (I have to say using our Alaska magical mystery tour album cover Airliines Miles has been a breeze. Very easy to chaange flights and lots of availability).
Looks like a fantastic trip! I am looking forward to reading all about it! I don't think I would change anything about the first part of your trip. I like that you are spending a good amount of time in each place. On a long trip it can get a little exhausting being constantly on the move.
Two weeks is a great amount of time to spend in NW Argentina. I would rent a car and drive a loop of the region from Salta. A week is a decent amount of time for a leisurely drive, perhaps a few days more. If you enjoy wine then Cafayate is worth a few days to explore the vineyards. Cachi, Purmamarca, Huamahaca, magical mystery tour album cover Tilcara, Chicoana are all worth visiting. We found it easy enough to just turn up and find accomodation without booking in advance which allowed us a great deal of flexibility. The driving is easy and the scenery spectacular so lots of stops along the way to admire said scenery.
Salta itself is very nice. We tend to stay at Casa Hernandez in San. Lorenzo, a few miles out of the city. Easy to get into town if you have a car or by bus if you don't. Nice place to chill out and the hosts are fantastic - a home from home.
You can drive the Carretera Austral - Ruta 7 - starting in Puerto Montt combining road with ferries (in summer). This would give you a chance to see the northern bit of the Carretera Austral. You need to be very flexible magical mystery tour album cover on this stretch as there is not that much infrastructure, you need to drive slowly and lodging is varied, ferries may be delayed or not run. You do need a special permission to take a rental car on the Carretera due to mainly gravel roads or if you want to enter Argentina. Insure to the maximum as broken windshields from kicked up stones are not uncommon. You could possibly cross into Argentina at Futaleufu and up through Esquel and Bariloche and back to Chile to drop the car off in Puerto Montt. That would save the backtracking and ferries of the northern section.
Oh, what a wonderful trip! Good for you to put so much effort into planning; magical mystery tour album cover it sounds excellent. I agree with your husband, as one of the places I most want to go that I haven't been to in South America is the Carretera Austral.
I like Huentetu's idea ("You could possibly cross into Argentina at Futaleufu magical mystery tour album cover and up through Esquel and Bariloche and back to Chile to drop the car off in Puerto Montt"). If you do that, or go the other direction, the trip from Puerto Montt to Bariloche was an easy one (we did it in a rental magical mystery tour album cover car), though we did need some special authorization from the Chilean border control to get through the Argentine border control, which are about 45 min. apart on a beautiful road. We didn't have the right authorization, so had to go back and forth a few times. Just a tip so that you don't have to drive extra, too!
In the lakes region of Argentina, magical mystery tour album cover we loved loved loved the town of Villa la Angostura (vi ja, as they call it). Smaller and cuter, and less over the top touristy than Bariloche. There is an excellent national park within magical mystery tour album cover a national park there (Los Arrayanes National Park) which you can take a boat ride to from Villa. It's a short but beautiful magical mystery tour album cover hike, and like many of the parks we visited in Argentina, there is a cute little cafe (confiteria) there to buy food and have a little picnic after the walk. Don't forget to try the alfajores!
I will not be much help but I hope you enjoy 3B Barranco, try to have a chat with Elizabeth and Enrique when they are not too busy!! There are lots of dining options at all price levels nearby and they are happy to make reservations for you.
Huentutu, thanks for the suggeston. We are now thinking still about bus from Puerto Natales to Coyhaique, renting car there and taking magical mystery tour album cover 3 weeks to explore with a rental return to Coyhaique and flying or ferry to Puerto Montt to follow bus/ferrt crossing into Argentina with maybe a small pass through Chiloe first.
Pantanal, thanks for the Villa la Angostura suggestion. Our daughter and family stayed in Bariloche for 3 weeks and though they loved the convenience for hiking, they didn't magical mystery tour album cover love the town. They suggested San Martin de los Andes as a base.
If we skip Sucre, we can get 9 days in the Argentinian Lakes region before flying magical mystery tour album cover to El Calafate. There is is still a lot of back and forth from Puerto Natales, Punta Arenas. I have tweaked to decrease that somewhat.
The new wrinkle: i just happened upon a couple of trip reports for the Puna Catamarquena with Socompa Tours. The photos magical mystery tour album cover are amazing and the tour is rated very positively. The 5 day tour seems like something we would like. This would eat into our time for other exploration but still 9 days left. My one concern is any similarity between this area and the Bolivian magical mystery tour album cover Salar. Has anyone spent some time in the Argentine Puna?
Last thought: If we stay on the Chilean Lake side, we could fly out of Santiago. I am seeing some nice beach area BnBs in Concon. magical mystery tour album cover Might be a great way to wind down..... I do have to decide between BA or Santiago magical mystery tour album cover for exit flight fairly soon secondary miles flights are disappearing. Next step is apartment hunting magical mystery tour album cover in Buenos Areas. Looking at one in Palermo Viejo. Our daughter stayed in this area between El Salvador and Hondorus and thought we would like it....